Au Pairs vs Nanny vs Daycare

What is the difference between an Au Pair and a Nanny?

As a live-in childcare provider, an Au Pair provides a unique cultural exchange experience and offers unmatched convenience for a family seeking childcare.

Don’t be limited by your daycare center or nannies anymore; from budget, skills to schedule and more – with Go Au Pair, you choose what is most important to your family.

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Au Pair vs Nanny vs Daycare: Pros and Cons

Judge for yourself if either a nanny or daycare are a suitable alternative to an Au Pair!

Nanny

Limited Support & Lots of Work

Price increases per child

Highly Variable, Your Responsibility

Schedule at Nanny's Discretion

Nanny's Choice

Options Limited to Local Resources

Cultural Exchange Not a Priority

Your Responsibility to Screen

Often No Professional Support

You're on your own with nearly every aspect

Go Au Pair

Best Value

Pricing is per Au Pair, not per child

32 Hours of Child Care Training

Up to 45 Hours per Week, Up to 10 Hours a Day

Live-in Convenience

Choose an Au Pair with Similar Hobbies & Interests

Pick Your Au Pair's Nationality & Spoken Languages

Screened, Interviewed, and Background Checked

Local Area & HQ Support

Pay nothing until matching with your Au Pair

Flexible

Daycare

Limited Hours & Variable Staff

Price increases per child

Daycare Chooses

Limited to Operating Hours & Late Fees

No In-Home Help

Staff Personality Will Be Luck of the Draw

Cultural Exchange Not a Priority

Depends on Chosen Daycare

Support Limited to Operating Hours

Limited in services offered and schedule flexibility.

We asked our Host Families why they chose an Au Pair over other forms of child care.

"We wanted someone we had in our home that felt connected with our family."

Moscoso Family

"We wanted a younger, live-in caretaker with the benefit of a regulated program at an affordable price."

Medrano Family

"We liked the idea of having someone that can become part of our family and teach us about another culture. It is also much more affordable."

Christensen Family

Au Pair vs Nanny Cost

On average, annual live in nanny cost is between $26,000-$35,000, while the cost of a standard Au Pair for a year is under $21,575. Most live in nannies for hire would not consider working up to 45 hours per week for that price!

Au Pair Costs

Cost of Daycare

     
 
 
      
 
   Megan Lipps-Choi 
 October 22, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We have had a au pair through Go Au Pair for 1.5 years and it has been a positive experience well above and beyond our expectations. Our au pair arrived when our daughter was only 3 months old. She has taken great care of her and become a beloved part of our family. I believe careful interviewing for strong childcare experience, as well as an honest assessment of your family’s willingness to make someone a part of your family are critical to having a positive experience. Truthfully, we have rarely needed help from our agency but when we do they are responsive and helpful.
  
 
     
 
   Megan Walsh 
 October 15, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We've had a wonderful experience with Go Au Pair. We are in our third year with the program and plan for a fourth (until our kiddo goes to school). We originally sought out an au pair program because of our non-traditional work schedules, but it has been so much more than just a logistics solution. Our kiddo has formed strong bonds with her au pairs and solid foreign language skills that will undoubtedly serve her well in the future. There is also the undeniable fact that we have positively influenced the lives of au pairs.
We have found the agency itself to be helpful and supportive throughout the process; Helping to address any questions or sticking points promptly.
  
 
     
 
   Maria S 
 October 14, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We highly recommend the agency! The team made the au pair search process smooth, stress-free, and enjoyable. Their communication is excellent, and they helped us find an amazing au pair who has had a positive impact on our family. Thank you for all your support!
  
 
     
 
   Jamie K 
 October 9, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We HIGHLY recommend Go Au Pair (GAP).  In the world of working parent guilt and a global pandemic, it really does take a village to raise children--but what does one do when one's village alternates quarantining and childcare is chaos.

When we heard about the au pair program and began to research it, we knew it was our only hope, though we had many concerns. The first was what agency to choose--a huge agency? A small agency? We wondered what role our agency would play, and agonized over the choice. Ultimately, GAP provided terrific, high-quality, personalized service that clearly comes from their experience in the AP world and not being so enormous that they lose sight of their families and APs. We are a family, not just a number, to GAP. We have now been hosting for years and currently have our 5th AP. They are such very special young ladies who are authentic,  bright, and thoughtful. They are fantastic with our children, and it's wonderful to have an extra "big sister" who can cook for them, drive them to and from activities and school, help them with their homework, etc.. With 3 young boys, having a third adult is such an unbelievable help in our family.

Our APs leave unforgettable impressions on our children and have made it so easy to be working parents. We cannot thank GAP enough!
  
 
     
 
   Lisseth Barco 
 October 4, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Being an Aupair is the best experience I have I found an amazing host family to share our cultures makes me feel like home bc we shared similar traditions and I’m going to say that I’m having a good experience with the program and of course doing my second year with the same family and that’s why I really recommend them 🤗 thanks GoAupair to make us have a good experience outside of our countries sharing our cultures.
  
 
 
 
  
 
   Google rating score: 4.7 of 5, based on 193 reviews

Skills

All our Au Pairs complete a 32-hour training course. Many are CPR and first aid certified and most are infant qualified with more than 200 hours of infant care experience. Take comfort knowing that your Au Pair is properly trained and prepared for unexpected situations.

Schedule

Create the schedule that best fits your needs and have the flexibility to change it as needed. Flexible scheduling, up to 45 hours a week, 10 hours a day, and live-in care means no more rushed mornings and frantic after-work evenings.

Budget

Starting at about $9.22 an hour, the cost of child care doesn’t change even if you have more than one child. Add in our personalized payment plans and protection program and you have a truly flexible and affordable childcare solution.

Lifestyle

Go beyond basic childcare: your Au Pair provides homework help, helps with meals and participates in the lives and activities of your children. Your Au Pair is more than a babysitter; they are an extended member of your family.

Culture

Whether it is learning a new language, experiencing native cuisines or introducing your family to different traditions and customs, your Au Pair will immerse your family in a new and exciting foreign culture.

Support

Our personalized support sets the value of Go Au Pair above other forms of childcare. Local Area Reps support Au Pairs and Host Families, while our Placement Coordinators help Families with details and logistics.

More about how a live-in nanny compares to an Au Pair

Does your family need flexible and reliable childcare? If you are considering a live-in nanny, there may be a more affordable, consistent and memorable option. Go Au Pair offers American families a cultural childcare experience you do not want to miss.

For busy, modern families, Au Pair experiences are far more rewarding and affordable than live-in nannies, in many categories. From training to screening to convenience, Au Pairs provide more for less. It’s hard for any nanny to compare to the value of hosting an Au Pair.

If your family wants to find a live in nanny, I have some surprising news for you! An Au Pair experience, including the stipend, education expenses and agency fees, costs about two-thirds the average live in nanny salary. Not only that, the Au Pair Program offers so many more benefits to the entire family.

How much does a live in nanny cost? More importantly, how much is a live in nanny compared to an Au Pair?

Naturally, childcare costs vary from state to state. On average, annual live in nanny cost is between $26,000-$35,000, while the cost of a standard Au Pair for a year is under $21,575. Most live in nannies for hire would not consider working up to 45 hours per week for that price!

How much does a full time nanny cost near you? Florida and Mississippi can average as low as $12 an hour, but the average nanny salary is over $16 an hour in Maryland and Kentucky. According to ZipRecruiter, more than half US states average over $14 an hour for a nanny.

Your Au Pair expenses can be broken into three parts which still add up to less than the cost of a live-in nanny. That’s right! An Au Pair costs an average of $9.22 an hour, far below the cost of a nanny. It’s literally that simple.

First the stipend is paid weekly to your Au Pair, and starts at a minimum of $195.75. Note that Au Pairs and Families are able to negotiate a higher stipend than the minimum, based on qualifications of the Au Pair and other factors. Second, the host family contributes up to $500 toward their Au Pair’s educational component, usually paid directly to the college or university. Finally, the agency fees (including average airfare) of $10,895 can be made in payments directly to Go Au Pair.

Does training cost extra?

No. When you match with an Au Pair, he or she receives 32 hours of training at our NYC workshop. Given our recent partnership with Long Island University, your Au Pair can earn their first 3 credits too, currently held online due to restrictions.

Host families can also search our database for candidates with specific skills, like driving, cooking, or swimming. For important skills like driving, families can easily determine how long a candidate has been driving, what kind of car, even in what type of conditions. Our NYC workshop offers a driving assessment, which provides host families an objective behind-the-wheel report.

We have candidates with CPR and First Aid training, if that’s what you need. There are even specialized programs if you want an Au Pair with training and experience in the field of education. Ask about our EduCare programs.

When you hire a nanny in your local area, training can vary greatly. There is no standard “nanny” training. You may get lucky and find a person who can dedicate themselves to your kids, but there is no guarantee they have had any training at all. It is up to families to research private nanny candidates.

Who does the screening?

Go Au Pair’s candidates are screened, interviewed and background checked, with all those documents available for review by host families. We even provide a personality test so you can choose a candidate with similar interests as hobbies as your family.

Host families are able to view an Au Pair’s previous childcare experience in detail, including the ages of the kids and types of duties performed. You can easily see a candidate’s work and personal references when viewing an Au Pair profile. All Au Pair candidates undergo a physical examination and provide a physician’s report for your review too.

While all Au Pairs speak English (rated between 1 and 5), families get to choose which language and culture to share with their kids. If learning Spanish or Mandarin is important, families can search based on language, as well as many other filters.

If you choose to hire a local person to live with your family and care for your children, the screening is fully your responsibility. Most of us wouldn’t want that responsibility, or even know where to begin.

Ready for the convenience?

Families who choose the Au Pair Program enjoy the convenience of a live-in best friend and big sister. An Au Pair becomes an integral part of your family life, available to help when you need it. What parent cannot say they could use an extra set of hands at odd hours of the day and night?

Au Pairs can work up to 10 hours per day, as many as 45 hours per week, and can work flexible schedules, even split shifts. They can stay home if the kids are sick or the weather keeps them out of school. Au Pairs can even drive your kids to school, lessons or activities when you have a meeting or want to fit in a workout.

Most live in nannies are from the local area and will have a life outside your family, though it is possible to find a nanny from another country. An Au Pair is here for a year of cultural exchange and learning, with your family at the center of that experience. Au Pairs want to learn from you and your kids and improve their English for better job opportunities in their home countries. Au Pairs are a safe and convenient way to expose your family to world cultures.

To make it even more convenient, you have the support of an agency with three decades of success! Families have a dedicated Placement Coordinator at the agency and a Local Area Representative near you, ready to answer your questions and help your au pair make friends.

Compared to a live in nanny, an Au Pair is a fantastic value, both financially and logistically. The agency handles all the paperwork and sponsors the visa. You enjoy the fun and convenience of a year-long cultural exchange experience.